October 6, 2025 • 40 mins
Who would have thought THIS would be one of the most controversial topics we've shared about on social media?! We're chatting synthetic Pitocin and naturally occurring oxytocin on the pod today. Discover why it matters for your birth and postpartum experience, hear real-life stories, and learn how to navigate these crucial decisions for your own birth journey.
00:00 Introduction to the Podcast
01:09 Today's Controversial Topic: Pitocin vs. Oxytocin
02:42 Listener Review
05:31 Understanding Oxytocin
13:44 Understanding Pitocin
15:06 Pitocin's Impact on Labor and Birth
25:08 Supporting Natural Oxytocin Production
29:56 Real-Life Experiences with Pitocin and Oxytocin
34:15 Holistic Birth Preparation and Education
39:46 Conclusion and How to Support the Podcast
Links We Chat About
Our Instagram Profile, Check out Pitocin Highlights There
Our Monthly Membership
Our Weekly Newsletter
Our Childbirth Education Course, use code RADIANT10 for 10% off
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to catch every episode. Follow us on Instagram for extra education and antics between episodes at: @beautifulonemidwifery
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to catch every episode. Follow us on Instagram for extra education and antics between episodes at: @beautifulonemidwifery
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Welcome to at Home with Kellyand Tiffany, where we share
powerful tools, excitingeducation, and relatable views
about holistic health,physiological birth, and
thriving in the female body.
We are home birth midwives insunny San Diego.
Passionate about thealternatives that give women
control and confidence inhealth, in birth and in life.
(00:24):
We've poured a lot of love intocreating very in depth and high
value offerings.
A monthly membership, aphysiological birth course, and
holistic guides for the womenwho really want to dive all the
way in.
But this podcast.
We want to bring zero costinformation about health and
natural birth and make theseimportant topics accessible
(00:46):
always.
Your support of the show is alsozero cost and means everything
to us.
When you leave a review, sharean episode and join our
newsletter.
It really helps us keep thisspace open, ad free and full of
honest, valuable conversations.
Now let's dive into today'sshow.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_0915 (01:09):
Welcome back to the at home with Kelly
and Tiffany podcast.
I am Kelly.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_091556 (01:14):
And I'm Tiffany.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (01:15):
And today we are talking about
potentially one of the morecontroversial topics.
That we actually really love toshare about on social media in
particular.
And we talk a ton about in ourchildbirth education class, just
because it kind of breaks themold it, it talks about
something very important in away that is not being given
(01:38):
truthfully to women, especiallywho are in labor.
And so yes, so we are talkingabout the actual differences
between Pitocin the syntheticversion of our wonderful hormone
friend, oxytocin.
So we're putting them kind ofside by side talking about them
and talking about why it mattersthat they are actually
different.
And clapping back at some peoplewho like to chirp at us on our
(02:02):
social media about this topic.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_09155 (02:05):
It's like fascinating that we haven't
done an episode on thisspecifically just because it
generates so much conversation.
And what's great is that onsocial media, we have to temper
all the things with otherpeople's interactions and
responses.
And on the podcast we don't, wejust get to say what we wanna
say.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (02:26):
in long form right?
We get to say we get to actuallytalk about it versus here are
the amount of characters thatyou can put in your caption.
And here's the seven secondsthat you can, you know, put
something on your reel,whatever.
So this is great to be able to,you know, process some things.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_0915 (02:42):
okay.
Before we jump in, we have areally great review from Little
Birds.
Little, I think like littlebirds.
Five star, five star review,stellar podcast even for moms
who Work.
So listen up.
We are hitting multipledemographics here, ladies.
(03:03):
She says, I've been followingbeautiful one on Instagram for a
few years since they popped upon my feed as we do after having
three babies in three differenthospitals and OB practices, I
found myself expecting againnine years later.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (03:19):
Wow.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_091556 (03:20):
A second marriage.
Having been on a holistic healthjourney as a therapist and
health coach for over 10 years,I knew I needed to birth.
I knew I needed birth to bedifferent.
The fourth time around living onthe East coast, receiving care
from beautiful one was not anoption, but their information
was incredibly helpful andencouraging, and I was fortunate
enough to deliver my fourth athome with a wonderful local
(03:42):
midwife practice.
Fast forward four years and I'm42.
I will be delivering at age 43and expecting my sixth little
one.
I have been listening to the athome with Kelly and Tiffany
podcast and I am loving all thecontent, birth related and
non-birth related.
Stellar information, stellardelivery, and I am still
(04:03):
learning a lot despite being aveteran mom and having birth
naturally a few times.
I've even sent my husband a fewof their episodes and he enjoyed
them.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (04:11):
Let's go.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_091 (04:13):
eight.
With eight kids total andfull-time jobs.
Podcasts are not a highpriority, are not high on my
priority list, but I can't getenough of this one.
Well done ladies.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (04:24):
Oh, that gave me goosebumps.
That's like
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_091 (04:27):
Thanks Little Birds.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (04:28):
Yeah.
That's really special.
Thank you so much for taking thetime to share.
But then hopefully thatencourages other women too,
right?
Like our journeys.
Just that right where youstarted or decisions you made
prior.
Don't need to be the same onesthat you do moving into the
future.
And we should be always open tomore information and education
and all of it.
That's beautiful.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_091556 (04:47):
And it actually, that, that kind of
segues almost for me becauseI've been talking to somebody on
Instagram recently who, thiswoman who has.
She, her pregnancies go reallylate for her and she always gets
induced around 42 weeks and thenends up having Pitocin
throughout most of her labor andpostpartum time, and so she's
(05:09):
can my body even do it?
At this point, I think she'ssaid she's had four or five like
inductions or something maybe.
Something like that.
And she's is my, can my bodyeven do it?
Is it even capable?
And I'm like, oh, this is agreat question.
I think, of course, but youneed, there's some things that
have to change.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (05:28):
Yeah, so I'm super excited to kind of
get into this a little bit more.
We're diving into this wholetopic, right?
That's going to affect honestlyevery single woman who's having
a baby, whether you realize itor not.
This idea of Pitocin versusoxytocin, obviously they sound
similar.
They're given to women.
When, you know, when Pitocin isgiven to women, oftentimes it's
(05:49):
called oxytocin also.
So they obviously sound similar.
They are not the same.
And understanding the differencecan actually really impact your
birth experience, yourpostpartum journey, and even the
connection that you have withyour baby.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_0915 (06:03):
Yeah, and the fascinating thing about
sharing this information onInstagram so far is that it just
makes like all of these medical,scientific people come out of
the woodwork and you can.
Just hop on our Instagram and golook at our Pitocin content
every time we share on it that,that it's not the same.
(06:24):
And why?
People wanna come and argue withus about the molecular structure
of Pitocin and chemistry pieces.
And gosh, we're such idiots.
'cause we don't understand howthese molecules interact in the
body.
It is exactly the same, blah,blah, blah, blah.
It's every single.
Male medi, like first yearmedical student wants to come
(06:46):
and explain things to us.
And there was, there's actuallyone reel and this one's from a
couple years ago, but it'sprobably my favorite, where
there were like lots ofmetaphors that were given to us
and the comments to help usunderstand how somebody was
comparing like Pitocin to like asalad and like a hamburger and I
(07:07):
was.
Just really blown away by thedemonstration of trying to help
us understand how they areexactly the same.
And it's just, I'm like, okay.
Even if scientificallysomething, appears to be
different than reality.
We are, which it's not.
There is a scientificexplanation and we'll get into
(07:29):
that.
But just dealing with a hottopic like this where there
seems to be like very differentways of going about it.
We need to listen to womenfirst.
It doesn't matter at all whatthe study says.
It doesn't matter at all what wecan prove scientifically.
We need to look and listen towomen's experiences and validate
those and discuss those and makethose our primary resources of
(07:52):
information.
And when women say, I had thisexperience with Pitocin and it
was like this, and then I had anexperience without Pitocin, and
it was like that.
We, we say, yes, that's true.
Your experience is true.
And when we have hundreds andthousands of women who are
saying the same thing, we listento them.
So that is that's our takeaway.
(08:14):
If you don't like what we'resaying so far, just turn the
episode off and go listen tosomething else that is gonna
make you feel better aboutstuff.
But when we poll our audienceabout who has had Pitocin used
in labor and or in theirpostpartum, 60% of women have
been given Pitocin.
60% of the women who, you know,responded to this poll.
(08:35):
And so the overarching concepthere.
About Pitocin versus oxytocinreally is about understanding
physiology.
So we're not necessarily pittingthe molecular structures against
themselves.
It's about what is our bodyalready doing on its own?
How can we support physiology?
That's what we think is the thestandard for birth, especially
(08:57):
like natural birth is thephysiological process.
And we want labor to flow andmove along.
And so.
The only way that happens iswith oxytocin flowing, and for
oxytocin to flow birth needs tobe a really intentional sacred.
(09:19):
Sanctuary type experience, notan observational or stage or
performative experience.
And so understanding those twopieces and how like physiology
versus a non physiologicalprocess as we're trying to make
sense of how they how Pitocinand oxytocin work in our bodies.
(09:40):
That's kinda like the frameworkthat we're using for this.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (09:43):
Yeah, absolutely.
So we can jump into whatoxytocin is.
What Pitocin is, right?
And kind of understanding thedifferences on this, like very
basic level, right?
So.
Oxytocin, you've heard of itbefore.
I am certain.
It's also called like the lovehormone, right?
It happens when we areconnected.
It's a hormone of connection inparticular, and it's naturally
(10:05):
produced by the body.
And so you'll notice times inyour life where you just are
starting to feel reallyconnected, really happy, really
just in your own body, thankful.
Like all of these pieces whereyou just feel safe, right?
And connected with the people orperson that you are with at the
time.
So those peaks of oxytocinhappened during loving touch
(10:27):
times of connection.
I mean, even just like sharing ameal with friends kind of thing
around a table and everybody'slaughing, lots of oxytocin
happening.
Sex huge peaks, right?
Orgasm, like kind of theultimate peak in a lot of ways,
right?
But it also is a naturallyproduced.
Peak hormone during labor andduring birth and during
(10:47):
breastfeeding, which makessense, right?
Lots of love, lots of connectionhappening during those times.
And that again, is what, whenyour body is trying to create
more so that those events andthose experiences are felt and
moved along and all of that inthe way that they were designed
to.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_0915 (11:05):
Yeah.
And when we talk about hormonalcascade, it really does start
with oxytocin.
And oxytocin continues to build.
It releases other hormones.
It helps your nervous systemregulate.
It helps to, you know, do lotsof really beautiful things.
But the mechanism in laborspecifically is.
Triggering rhythmic uterinecontractions, supporting the
(11:27):
cervix to soften and open.
It helps facilitate you beingconnected to the experience and
being willing to bond to thepeople who are helping you and
help you trust the situationthat you're in.
It helps to reduce stress andkeep like other, you know,
stress hormones like adrenalineat bay.
(11:49):
It also helps to, help you likemanage the sensations and the
the adapt your adaptability andresiliency to handle the
physical and emotional pieces oflabor too.
So, oxytocin peaks when a womanfeels safe, when she feels
unobserved, when she feelsundisturbed and oxytocin works
(12:13):
best in the same environmentthat is.
Supporting intimacy.
So there's a reason that it's aconnection hormone, a love
hormone.
So we say you know, your birthshould be set up in the way that
you would potentially havephysical intimacy with your
partner, who would you whoshould be involved in that
(12:34):
process besides just the two ofyou?
And keeping it sacred, keepingit private.
So we want like dim lights, lotsof privacy, soft voices, feeling
like the people around you aresafe.
Not feeling like you're beingwatched.
And just being able to lean into that and having the tools
available and the planningpieces in place to make you
(12:56):
feel.
Like oxytocin can flow and doits job for you in labor.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (13:02):
And, this is one of the many reasons
why we talk about making thesedecisions about your labor and
your birth, like well beforeyour labor and birth actually
happen, right?
Because if we're wanting toencourage oxytocin, if we're
wanting to, you know, h helpthis hormonal cascade along.
Some of those decisions thatyou're making, you know, months
in advance about who you'reinviting into your birth and
(13:25):
where you are birthing actuallydo play, you know, a big role.
And so I know we kind of likecontinuously say these things,
but that's because again, thatit matters and it can impact
again, so much about about yourexperience.
So oxytocin, super sweet.
We love it.
Love hormone, all of that goodstuff.
Now we have Pitocin on the otherside, right?
(13:46):
Pitocin is, it was derived fromoxytocin.
It is a synthetic version of it.
It's most commonly administeredin iv.
It can also be, you know, putinto like your leg via shot kind
of thing.
But the most commonadministration is through an IV
and.
The most common reasons it isused is to induce labor, right?
(14:07):
So to start contractions.
'cause the idea is, oh, ifoxytocin is what moves labor
along, then Pitocin, we cancreate that and we can just kind
of force the issue.
So to induce labor.
To augment labor somehow,usually that is because
contractions have slowed down orare non-existent anymore, and
they're saying, we need to havethis baby, right?
And so saying again, Hey, let's.
(14:29):
Let's put this let's kinda trickyour body into thinking it has
oxytocin by giving you some ofthis pitocin, right?
And then also a very common timefor women to have Pitocin is
right after the birth of yourbaby, but before the birth of
your placenta.
So helping to deliver theplacenta.
Or control postpartum bleeding.
Those would be the most commonlyused times.
(14:50):
And honestly, that 60% of womenwho were polled in our Instagram
poll is less for sure than justbecause we have an interesting
amount of followers who, youknow, who are having home births
and things like that.
And so it's probably differentpercentages in terms of hospital
use for sure.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_0915 (15:06):
Yeah, and like I think the biggest
piece that is the most confusingto, to people is that endogenous
oxytocin that you produce inyour own body crosses the blood
brain barrier.
And Pitocin, the synthetic formthat is given to you does not
cross the blood-brain barrier.
And so it has different effects.
(15:28):
It does similar.
Things in labor, the physicalmechanisms, but it doesn't
interact with the hormones quitethe same.
It actually like blocks somenatural hormone.
Action in your body.
It interrupts the receptors.
It can make your naturaloxytocin receptors like over
flooded so that it doesn't, sothat you're not making oxytocin
(15:53):
because it recognizes this.
This synthetic version in yourbody and can cause it can cause
some complications and such.
And we see that in theliterature that is really
scientifically clear thatPitocin can be misused and does
have, you know, some negativeconsequences and side effects.
But Pitocin doesn't trigger thatlove and bonding and emotional
(16:18):
connection that natural oxytocindoes.
That would be really interestingif it did, but it's because it
doesn't cross the blood brainbarrier, so it's not interacting
with us psychologically andemotionally.
It overrides natural oxyoxytocin production.
So, even though it has a shortshelf life and once you come off
of it, it can, it can definitelyleave your body pretty quickly
(16:41):
and allow you to start creatingyour own oxytocin again.
It's still an interruption inthat process, and so we kind of
lose the cascade.
When we think of a ca we'reusing the term cascade because
it's like a, it's like awaterfall, right?
That's like just continuing togain speed as the water's
falling and there's more andmore volume, and as it's going,
(17:02):
it's catching and it's prettymuch unstoppable, but you can
stop this cascade.
And Pitocin is one of the waysthat you can do that.
Experiencing, you know, fear,experiencing tension in your
body.
All of those can like, kind ofhalt the cascade too.
So important pieces to be payingattention to.
And Pitocin can increase painwithout the natural.
(17:23):
Pain buffering of oxytocin.
So endogenous, natural oxytocinhappening in our body is the
part of helping protect us andhelp us like integrate the
experience of the physicalsensations of labor.
It's actually a really cool partof handling labor and being able
to, and women who can look backand go, I have absolutely no
(17:43):
idea how I did that.
It was your hormones helpingyou.
So when we pause that, it canmake.
Your labor contractions feeleven more uncomfortable,
especially if they're beingsynthetically produced.
So we're putting Pitocin in you.
Yes.
It's really interesting how itcan land on those same receptors
and create contractions, butthey're not the same natural
(18:07):
pulsing that are happening withendogenous.
Oxytocin, and so your bodyresponds to it differently and
you lose the protectivemechanism of everything kind of
working synergisticallytogether.
Pitocin often creates stronger,more intense contractions than
the body would naturallygenerate, and because of those
stronger, more intensecontractions.
(18:29):
That is potentially keepingblood flow from being able to
move as freely as it would ifyou were having more natural
contractions.
And sometimes there's less restthere.
And so that's what happens whena baby goes into distress in a
situation with.
Pitocin being administeredeither too high or for too long
periods of time is it's anoxygenation issue.
(18:50):
And so the uterus, when it'sclamping down, just naturally a
part of the process, the normalprocess even slows down blood
flow.
But when it's happening reallystrong.
Really close together and for areally long period of time,
experiencing that intensity.
It's not natural.
It's not what our bodies weredesigned to be able to tolerate.
And oftentimes we see issueswith the baby's heart rate in
(19:13):
response to that.
And so usually Pitocin, I meanalways Pitocin in this kind of
situation when it's being usedfor induction or labor
augmentation to kind of keeplabor going.
It needs to be, you need to behighly monitored because of this
risk issue with the baby.
And it's almost always in ahospital centered birth setting.
(19:33):
That's, this is not somethingthat we would use at home or at
a birth center, any place thatdoesn't have access to immediate
emergency equipment because ofthe unpredictability piece of
keeping the baby safe.
So then you're on monitoring,continuous monitoring with the
administer.
Of Pitocin and you are beingwatched and monitored for
(19:55):
basically trying to get themaximum amount of effects with,
in reducing the risk to yourbaby.
And there's also risk to you andyour, you know, physical self
with uterine rupture and youknow, different things that can
go on in your body too with toomuch Pitocin so even though it's
very common.
We have to look at the fact thatbecause it can only be used in a
(20:17):
high risk environment, it sh andit's being treated as a high
risk piece because then all of asudden you need all of this
extra monitoring and such likethat.
Sh we need to like have an alarmbell going off in our heads
about that.
Like now we're turn, we'returning this into a really.
Intense medical event.
So Pitocin does stimulate theuterus, but it doesn't activate
(20:38):
the rest of that cascade.
That helps you to laborintuitively to bond with your
baby to stay calm and grounded,and that is what women report.
It is just not the sameexperience.
Their ability to cope and dealand even just integrate the
experience is completelydifferent.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (20:55):
Yeah.
And it's wild because this iseasily one of the more common
you know, interventions that aregiven to women.
And that part What was what youjust went over.
Is never a part of theconversation.
It is never a part of, it'salmost, it's just so rare to get
true informed decision makingof, you know, revolving around
(21:16):
this because it's given in sucha way of oh no, it's just like
oxytocin.
We're just gonna help you alonga little bit.
This is what the re you know,this is just what we're gonna do
basically.
And, gosh, it matters.
It matters a ton, and we're nottrying to be fear-based by
sharing this.
We are just trying to give theinformation so that then you can
move forward with your labor,your postpartum, with eyes wide
(21:40):
open as you are making whateverdecision you know that needs to
be made in the moment.
So, of course, pitocin can beincredibly helpful.
We are thankful that theyfigured out a way to as closely
mimic oxytocin as they could.
Obviously, they can't fully,because it doesn't do a.
Everything that Oxytocin doesthat we just went over.
But it can be lifesaving whenit's used appropriately.
(22:03):
So we are not bashing the use ofit.
I even shared a little bit agoon, on Instagram about, you
know, routine oxytocin usage,and people were like, well, I
had a, I was hemorrhaging andPitocin really helped me, you
know, whatever.
And I'm like, yes.
So that's not routine, right?
That is a useful, you know, wayto utilize this drug.
But for things like hemorrhage,high risk situations, truly
(22:26):
stalled, labors, things likethat, it can actually be
helpful, right?
It is a helpful tool in yourtoolbox to move forward in the
healthiest way possible.
But the key here, like Imentioned, is truly informed
consent.
If you are consenting to it, notfear-based, not routine usage.
This is what we always do,right?
(22:47):
If, and or you could say, Hey, Iknow everything.
I've heard these things.
I've researched it a little bit.
You're routine usage actuallysounds good to me.
I'm willing to do that.
Okay, great.
You are informed and you areconsenting to that.
But if you're listening to thisand being like, huh.
That's what, you know, myhospital does, that's what my
provider does just routinely.
That's what makes them feelsafer.
(23:08):
Interesting.
That doesn't me make me feelsafer.
So what do I want to do aboutit?
Or how do I want to approachthis?
What decisions do I need to makesurrounding that, right?
And that is.
That is a good place to findyourself in control of those
types of decisions.
But if you do find your place orfind yourself in a place where
you need to choose Pitocin oryou need truly need Pitocin.
(23:31):
You can talk to your providereven beforehand, right?
About, okay, so here's somequestions, right?
What's the lowest effective dosethat you can use for this, for
that particular situation,right?
We don't have to throweverything at it all at once.
You know, how can I kind slowlyenter into utilizing.
If you are like, okay, yes, I doneed to use this, you can still,
(23:53):
you know, bring yourself back tophysiology in the places where
you can, right?
Using your breath while, youknow, while you're contracting,
using movement Support your bodyjust to help integrate the
experience slowly, right?
All of those things that youwould normally do, even without
it will still be helpful andmeaningful and supportive of
(24:15):
what your body is doing.
And then again, back to thatidea of restoring physiology as
much as possible.
We want to do that as much aspossible, as quickly as possible
and emphasize that in as manyways as we possibly can so we
can support natural oxytocin inbirth, even when.
You have to utilize Pitocin oreven afterwards, right?
(24:38):
As your body is kind of likeworking through it.
And so I think that's a reallyhelpful thing to remember
because it's not all or nothing.
It's not black and white.
It's not, oh, everything is outthe window now that I have, now
that I'm utilizing this.
You can still support your bodyif doing so.
So Tiff, I'd love to hear someof the things that you recommend
in terms of, you know,especially like our lives as
doulas for so long, supportingwomen in this situation.
(25:02):
You know, just to kind of helpthat natural oxytocin while
still utilizing Pitocin wherenecessary.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_0915 (25:08):
Yeah, like we can, we have control
over the lighting.
We can still keep the lightstem.
We can put soothing music on, wecan use warm water.
We can have just the presence ofpeople who love us around us.
Even, you know, like our partneror some other companion, like a
doula or a midwife, you canstill you can, you still have
(25:29):
control over those people inyour environment.
You can still be reminded oftrust in your body and.
That comes along with having areally great birth team who's
gonna reinforce that, havingeducation beforehand.
So even when an intervention isnecessary, you're still going to
be able to facilitate as muchoxytocin production as possible
(25:53):
and then avoiding stressfulinterruptions in your labor,
avoiding unnecessary cervicalchecks, avoiding all those
things that we know that takeyou out of that place of being
able to like really focus andlean into the physiological
parts of labor that we're notmaking these recommendations in
just because they feel nice andit gives you something to do and
(26:15):
looks nice in the pictures.
Like it's because of physiology.
It's'cause we want to do thingsand it's not always natural to
lean towards physiology.
That's why you need peoplearound you that you trust to
remind you of those things.
Because there's plenty of timeswhere we've been in a labor that
is dysfunctional for some reasonand the mom is not intuitively
saying.
(26:36):
I need all these people to getout of my room.
I need to go be in a dark closetsomewhere.
I need you to stop talking tome.
And I need to just haveheadphones in with nice music.
It's not always instinctual andintuitive for multiple reasons.
It's a whole different episode.
And so you need to have a plan,and you need to have people
around you who are reminding youof let's lean into the
(26:57):
physiological pieces of yourlabor as much as possible, no
matter what the circumstancesare.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (27:03):
Yeah, absolutely.
And if what that's so true,whether you're having Pitocin or
not, all of those things arestill just going to help
encourage oxytocin or going toencourage, you know, connection
to the experience and all ofthat.
So on Pitocin, you can still dothose things off of Pitocin
trying to, you know, encourageoxytocin just naturally.
It's great to be able toutilize, you know, these tools
(27:23):
in your toolbox.
So oxytocin in particular,right?
We're trying to encourage it.
We're trying to do all of thosethings.
Oxytocin will continue to helpyou, not only just through
labor, encouraging your laborpattern, all of that, but also
postpartum.
And it's one of the reasons thatwe care so much about physiology
during labor itself andsupporting all of those natural
(27:45):
pieces for your body.
Because you know, after youbirth your baby, you may think
oh, labor's like the really.
Crazy part.
Yes.
That's, there's a lot.
But the clinically speaking,there's a lot that can happen in
between having your baby andbirthing your placenta and
oxytocin is a huge help in thatstage.
If we are able to preserve it,if we're able to encourage it,
(28:06):
it's gonna help expel yourplacenta.
It's gonna help reduce yourbleeding.
It's gonna help you see yourbaby and be like, oh my gosh,
this is the best baby that hasever been born in the history of
babies.
I love this baby so much.
It's gonna help produce, youknow, milk your let down your
breastfeeding success ingeneral.
And so.
Oxytocin does matter a wholeheck of a lot, right?
(28:27):
And Pitocin isn't going tosupport that hormonal harmony
piece and high dose Pitocinespecially, you know, longer use
too.
It can even cause morehemorrhaging.
It can cause more bleedingpostpartum.
It can mess with that early.
Rhythm of establishingbreastfeeding and bonding
sequences that happen.
(28:48):
Short-term issues, long-termissues for mental health stuff
too.
37% of the people that we, youknow, polled on Instagram said
that they experienced some kindof adverse effect during
postpartum from using Pitocin.
And so I shared, you know,somebody's experience too on
there a while ago about.
(29:09):
You know, I birthedphysiologically and then I was
given Pitocin without even beingspoken to.
And I you know, didn't realizeit until after the fact, but was
like, why do I feel like I'm noteven in the room with this baby?
Why do I feel like I'm anotherperson watching this?
She felt kind of dissociated notconnecting with her baby in that
time until, you know, kind ofran through her body and she was
able to, you know, backtrack andfigure that out and be like,
(29:30):
huh, that was fascinating, thatit wasn't even on her radar.
And she had that kind ofexperience.
And so, again, not fear-based,but trying to say physiology
matters so much and the designis created as such to, you know,
create this experience for youand for your baby to set you up
in a way that makes sense foryour connection, your baby's
(29:52):
survival, even all of that,right?
And that again, it matters.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_0915 (29:56):
Yeah.
And so, it's important to, likewe said, listen to other
people's stories, understandwhat women are saying about
their own experiences.
We asked our Instagram audienceto share about some of their
experiences with both, withoxytocin, with Pitocin because
it helps connect the informationwhen we get to hear it in story,
(30:17):
when we get to hear women'sactual experiences.
It helps connect the informationto, like you being able to apply
it to your life.
It just makes it so much moreapplicable and.
We collected a variety ofexperiences when we asked women
for this, and so I think that'sreally important to hear.
But when we first asked women,Hey, what did you do?
So now, so knowing aboutoxytocin, knowing about
(30:39):
physiological birth, knowingwhat supports that, what does
that look like in real life?
I mean, we all say dim thelights and put on music and make
things nice around you, but whatdid you actually do?
And so, our audience said,having my husband hold me.
Having sex in early labor havinga birth playlist prepared ahead
of time, talking about myfeelings nipple stimulation,
(31:03):
having scripture andaffirmations around me, putting
on Netflix fireplace, cuddlingwith my older children, having
things stay completely quiet,staying home sleeping, and
napping when possible.
My husband being very hands on,only looking at and making eye
(31:23):
contact with those who werethere to encourage me.
This, the, this is like thatpracticality of keeping oxy,
keeping oxytocin at like theforefront of your labor plan.
That's like what some of thosethings can look like.
And it's not gonna be one ofthose things.
It's gonna be having a plan formultiple pieces and everything
around you kind of justcontinuing to support that
(31:46):
hormonal cascade.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (31:47):
Yeah.
And again, that doesn'tguarantee like the easiest,
smoothest, you know, mostcomfortable labor, right?
But we see what oxytocin can doand how to encourage it.
And for a provider to sayPitocin is the same as oxytocin
is just a lie because we alsopulled women to say Hey, just
give us some of your experienceswith.
Pitocin and these things would,you know, are different in terms
(32:10):
of how the body responds, right?
So there's a few of these.
Pitocin was recommended withhemorrhaging, but I latched my
baby instead and it stopped,boom on it for over 24 hours in
labor and had a huge hemorrhage,which is what we spoke about a
little bit before.
One shot got my placenta outwhen I started hemorrhaging.
We have seen that happen at homeas well.
(32:32):
Tried for stalled labor and babydid not tolerate it well, which
ended in cesarean.
Unnecessary induction that wasawful and hard with difficulty
breastfeeding and postpartumdepression and anxiety.
Worth it for transfer for help,you know, from a home birth into
a hospital birth with stalledlabor and got a vaginal birth.
Smallest dose of it afterepidural nap to get labor going
(32:56):
again.
Used for postpartum hemorrhageand had a rough start with
breastfeeding which we heardbefore again as well.
First labor used in hospital andsecond for postpartum at home
for placenta.
I asked to be induced with it,but it was awful given
postpartum without consent andthankfully no adverse effects,
but I would have declined.
Caused fetal distress with firstthat resulted in three more
(33:19):
cesarean contractions liketransition with no breaks.
And so we see how it can beuseful and we see how it can
absolutely derail some thingshere.
We can see how oxytocin helpsencourage some of these pieces
that potentially Pitocin came into support.
And we can see again how Pitocincan.
Impact things negatively aswell.
(33:40):
So being able to say Pitocin andoxytocin are the same thing
again, flat out lie.
And we can, even if researchdidn't show that we can read
these things and say these are atiny amount of what has happened
for women who have had thisexperience, have these
experiences as well.
And so it matters for you to beaware of the differences.
(34:03):
Again, some of these.
So thankful, right?
That they were able to have itand that it did what it needed
to do.
And some of these, they lookback and think man, I wish, you
know, a different decision hadbeen made in that moment.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_0915 (34:15):
Yeah, and I think like the difference
really is that oxytocinrepresents this built-in design,
this built-in wisdom that yourbody is already going to do when
it's well supported, and Pitocinis a tool.
It doesn't need to beconsidered.
We don't need to say like it'sbad or good.
It has pros and cons of it,right?
Oxytocin in our body doesn'thave cons.
There's nothing to weigh out.
(34:36):
There isn't like the pros andcons of naturally flowing
oxytocin in our body.
It's always good, and Pitocin isa tool that can be used
sometimes, but we need to have areally specific reason because
it does interfere with what isnaturally happening in our body.
And so.
We wanna be able to approachbirth from the perspective of
(34:56):
supporting the entire system.
And that's why holistic birthprep is so important.
We're looking at like, where areyou at mentally?
Where is your body at?
Where are you you know, at andyour soul and your spirituality
and your social, you know,constructs around you and your
home and.
You know, all of those pieces,they really matter.
(35:17):
Pitocin is just like this singlefunction hormone stand-in.
I call it like a Marauder.
It just comes in Hey, I'm hereto save the day.
And then it like, you know, likea bulled China shop kind of.
And this.
Is the, this is the whole pointof understanding physiological
birth.
When we talk about physiologicalbirth, we are talking about this
hormonal cascade, what your bodyknows how to do on its own
(35:40):
without disturbance.
It's a good design.
We can trust in that to startwith as a foundation and kind of
see what happens in yoursituation as an individual.
And then we can pivot when it'snecessary.
But we can start with thefoundation of physiology and.
That is why good childbirtheducation should emphasize this
(36:01):
throughout every single thingthat is shared.
Because it is so foundational,it's so important.
We need to unlearn harmful birthculture norms.
From this educationalperspective and preparing for
birth, connecting to that gooddesign and understanding it in a
way that allows you to trust it.
And then understanding thesupportive pieces and strategies
(36:24):
of navigating that In modernbirth culture, no matter how it
is that you are going toexperience your setting and your
provider and your team and thosethings like this is applicable
in every single one of those.
Places.
So you guys know, in ourholistic birth course, we
emphasize that in every singlepiece of education, how to
activate your natural oxytocinflow for an easier and
(36:48):
instinctual labor.
How to avoid the con, thecascade of interventions by
supporting your body'sphysiology, how to create a
birth environment that protectsthat hormonal piece, that like
really essential foundationalblueprint of what your body
wants.
To do when it's well supported.
How to make confident informeddecisions without fear or
(37:09):
pressure.
So when it comes time to pivot,when it comes time to consider
an alternative, you have thetools that you need to go, okay,
I understand this is thefoundation, this is the goal.
This is, you know, sometimesthe.
The event that we have on thepedestal, not everybody is going
to have an experience that isideal to what their, what that
foundational piece is.
(37:30):
So then how do you pivot insideof that and how do you advocate
for yourself and make the bestdecision moving forward without
feeling like you've lost controlover all the pieces, right?
And then how to navigate birthwith evidence-based strategies.
Holistic wisdom and allowingthose pieces to kind of like
coincide and have the ability tosay, I understand this is what
(37:51):
my body is meant to do.
It's not what is currentlyhappening right now.
How do I wisely bring in some ofthose pieces?
Or how do I restore physiology?
How do I get back to helping mybody pick up, you know, where we
left off?
And being able to navigate allof those pieces.
So.
You'll find our childbirtheducation link in the show notes
(38:13):
as always, that is available toyou guys.
It's one of the ways that we areable to really bring
practicality and action and thisphilosophy into individual
women's experiences, and it's ahuge part of our passion for
sharing education andinformation like this.
So another thing that I wannainclude in our show notes.
(38:34):
Is our Pitocin highlight onInstagram because we spent a lot
of time building up the researchthere that says why Pitocin is
not the same as oxytocin.
And also some of the researchand scientific pieces about the
risks of Pitocin and how to tryto, you know, navigate that and
avoid that.
(38:54):
So you have the arsenal ofscientific research also to try
to avoid some of the pitfalls ofPitocin.
Guys.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (39:03):
Yeah, hopefully this just feels a
great foundational place for youthen to be like, oh, light bulbs
coming off and recognizing howimportant some of these
decisions, how important some ofthese deep dives that you can do
because you are the one incharge.
How that can impact not onlyyour birth, but then your
postpartum experience, all ofthat.
I see that as such a coolopportunity for women to like,
(39:24):
take control of and to reallyown rather than the mounting
pressure that feels like itmight be on top of you.
You can have some freedom inresearch and understanding what
your options are, and again,making informed decisions.
So hopefully this again, servesas some encouragement.
Check the show notes for all theother good stuff and we will
catch you next week.
(39:47):
Hey ladies, if you're loving theshow and want to help us keep it
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First, leave us a quick reviewor a rating.
It helps more women, new moms,and birth enthusiasts find our
(40:10):
show.
And it honestly means so much tous to be reminded that you love
what we are doing here.
Second, share this episode witha friend, with a doula buddy, or
anyone who is on their ownholistic health or natural birth
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And third hop on our newsletterlist.
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Bonus goodies behind the scenesstuff.
(40:32):
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Thanks so much for being a partof this growing empowered
community.
We could not do it without you.
Welcome to at Home with Kellyand Tiffany, where we share
powerful tools, excitingeducation, and relatable views
about holistic health,physiological birth, and
thriving in the female body.
We are home birth midwives insunny San Diego.
Passionate about thealternatives that give women
control and confidence inhealth, in birth and in life.
(00:24):
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(00:46):
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It really helps us keep thisspace open, ad free and full of
honest, valuable conversations.
Now let's dive into today'sshow.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_0915 (01:09):
Welcome back to the at home with Kelly
and Tiffany podcast.
I am Kelly.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_091556 (01:14):
And I'm Tiffany.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (01:15):
And today we are talking about
potentially one of the morecontroversial topics.
That we actually really love toshare about on social media in
particular.
And we talk a ton about in ourchildbirth education class, just
because it kind of breaks themold it, it talks about
something very important in away that is not being given
(01:38):
truthfully to women, especiallywho are in labor.
And so yes, so we are talkingabout the actual differences
between Pitocin the syntheticversion of our wonderful hormone
friend, oxytocin.
So we're putting them kind ofside by side talking about them
and talking about why it mattersthat they are actually
different.
And clapping back at some peoplewho like to chirp at us on our
(02:02):
social media about this topic.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_09155 (02:05):
It's like fascinating that we haven't
done an episode on thisspecifically just because it
generates so much conversation.
And what's great is that onsocial media, we have to temper
all the things with otherpeople's interactions and
responses.
And on the podcast we don't, wejust get to say what we wanna
say.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (02:26):
in long form right?
We get to say we get to actuallytalk about it versus here are
the amount of characters thatyou can put in your caption.
And here's the seven secondsthat you can, you know, put
something on your reel,whatever.
So this is great to be able to,you know, process some things.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_0915 (02:42):
okay.
Before we jump in, we have areally great review from Little
Birds.
Little, I think like littlebirds.
Five star, five star review,stellar podcast even for moms
who Work.
So listen up.
We are hitting multipledemographics here, ladies.
(03:03):
She says, I've been followingbeautiful one on Instagram for a
few years since they popped upon my feed as we do after having
three babies in three differenthospitals and OB practices, I
found myself expecting againnine years later.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (03:19):
Wow.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_091556 (03:20):
A second marriage.
Having been on a holistic healthjourney as a therapist and
health coach for over 10 years,I knew I needed to birth.
I knew I needed birth to bedifferent.
The fourth time around living onthe East coast, receiving care
from beautiful one was not anoption, but their information
was incredibly helpful andencouraging, and I was fortunate
enough to deliver my fourth athome with a wonderful local
(03:42):
midwife practice.
Fast forward four years and I'm42.
I will be delivering at age 43and expecting my sixth little
one.
I have been listening to the athome with Kelly and Tiffany
podcast and I am loving all thecontent, birth related and
non-birth related.
Stellar information, stellardelivery, and I am still
(04:03):
learning a lot despite being aveteran mom and having birth
naturally a few times.
I've even sent my husband a fewof their episodes and he enjoyed
them.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (04:11):
Let's go.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_091 (04:13):
eight.
With eight kids total andfull-time jobs.
Podcasts are not a highpriority, are not high on my
priority list, but I can't getenough of this one.
Well done ladies.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (04:24):
Oh, that gave me goosebumps.
That's like
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_091 (04:27):
Thanks Little Birds.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (04:28):
Yeah.
That's really special.
Thank you so much for taking thetime to share.
But then hopefully thatencourages other women too,
right?
Like our journeys.
Just that right where youstarted or decisions you made
prior.
Don't need to be the same onesthat you do moving into the
future.
And we should be always open tomore information and education
and all of it.
That's beautiful.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_091556 (04:47):
And it actually, that, that kind of
segues almost for me becauseI've been talking to somebody on
Instagram recently who, thiswoman who has.
She, her pregnancies go reallylate for her and she always gets
induced around 42 weeks and thenends up having Pitocin
throughout most of her labor andpostpartum time, and so she's
(05:09):
can my body even do it?
At this point, I think she'ssaid she's had four or five like
inductions or something maybe.
Something like that.
And she's is my, can my bodyeven do it?
Is it even capable?
And I'm like, oh, this is agreat question.
I think, of course, but youneed, there's some things that
have to change.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (05:28):
Yeah, so I'm super excited to kind of
get into this a little bit more.
We're diving into this wholetopic, right?
That's going to affect honestlyevery single woman who's having
a baby, whether you realize itor not.
This idea of Pitocin versusoxytocin, obviously they sound
similar.
They're given to women.
When, you know, when Pitocin isgiven to women, oftentimes it's
(05:49):
called oxytocin also.
So they obviously sound similar.
They are not the same.
And understanding the differencecan actually really impact your
birth experience, yourpostpartum journey, and even the
connection that you have withyour baby.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_0915 (06:03):
Yeah, and the fascinating thing about
sharing this information onInstagram so far is that it just
makes like all of these medical,scientific people come out of
the woodwork and you can.
Just hop on our Instagram and golook at our Pitocin content
every time we share on it that,that it's not the same.
(06:24):
And why?
People wanna come and argue withus about the molecular structure
of Pitocin and chemistry pieces.
And gosh, we're such idiots.
'cause we don't understand howthese molecules interact in the
body.
It is exactly the same, blah,blah, blah, blah.
It's every single.
Male medi, like first yearmedical student wants to come
(06:46):
and explain things to us.
And there was, there's actuallyone reel and this one's from a
couple years ago, but it'sprobably my favorite, where
there were like lots ofmetaphors that were given to us
and the comments to help usunderstand how somebody was
comparing like Pitocin to like asalad and like a hamburger and I
(07:07):
was.
Just really blown away by thedemonstration of trying to help
us understand how they areexactly the same.
And it's just, I'm like, okay.
Even if scientificallysomething, appears to be
different than reality.
We are, which it's not.
There is a scientificexplanation and we'll get into
(07:29):
that.
But just dealing with a hottopic like this where there
seems to be like very differentways of going about it.
We need to listen to womenfirst.
It doesn't matter at all whatthe study says.
It doesn't matter at all what wecan prove scientifically.
We need to look and listen towomen's experiences and validate
those and discuss those and makethose our primary resources of
(07:52):
information.
And when women say, I had thisexperience with Pitocin and it
was like this, and then I had anexperience without Pitocin, and
it was like that.
We, we say, yes, that's true.
Your experience is true.
And when we have hundreds andthousands of women who are
saying the same thing, we listento them.
So that is that's our takeaway.
(08:14):
If you don't like what we'resaying so far, just turn the
episode off and go listen tosomething else that is gonna
make you feel better aboutstuff.
But when we poll our audienceabout who has had Pitocin used
in labor and or in theirpostpartum, 60% of women have
been given Pitocin.
60% of the women who, you know,responded to this poll.
(08:35):
And so the overarching concepthere.
About Pitocin versus oxytocinreally is about understanding
physiology.
So we're not necessarily pittingthe molecular structures against
themselves.
It's about what is our bodyalready doing on its own?
How can we support physiology?
That's what we think is the thestandard for birth, especially
(08:57):
like natural birth is thephysiological process.
And we want labor to flow andmove along.
And so.
The only way that happens iswith oxytocin flowing, and for
oxytocin to flow birth needs tobe a really intentional sacred.
(09:19):
Sanctuary type experience, notan observational or stage or
performative experience.
And so understanding those twopieces and how like physiology
versus a non physiologicalprocess as we're trying to make
sense of how they how Pitocinand oxytocin work in our bodies.
(09:40):
That's kinda like the frameworkthat we're using for this.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (09:43):
Yeah, absolutely.
So we can jump into whatoxytocin is.
What Pitocin is, right?
And kind of understanding thedifferences on this, like very
basic level, right?
So.
Oxytocin, you've heard of itbefore.
I am certain.
It's also called like the lovehormone, right?
It happens when we areconnected.
It's a hormone of connection inparticular, and it's naturally
(10:05):
produced by the body.
And so you'll notice times inyour life where you just are
starting to feel reallyconnected, really happy, really
just in your own body, thankful.
Like all of these pieces whereyou just feel safe, right?
And connected with the people orperson that you are with at the
time.
So those peaks of oxytocinhappened during loving touch
(10:27):
times of connection.
I mean, even just like sharing ameal with friends kind of thing
around a table and everybody'slaughing, lots of oxytocin
happening.
Sex huge peaks, right?
Orgasm, like kind of theultimate peak in a lot of ways,
right?
But it also is a naturallyproduced.
Peak hormone during labor andduring birth and during
(10:47):
breastfeeding, which makessense, right?
Lots of love, lots of connectionhappening during those times.
And that again, is what, whenyour body is trying to create
more so that those events andthose experiences are felt and
moved along and all of that inthe way that they were designed
to.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_0915 (11:05):
Yeah.
And when we talk about hormonalcascade, it really does start
with oxytocin.
And oxytocin continues to build.
It releases other hormones.
It helps your nervous systemregulate.
It helps to, you know, do lotsof really beautiful things.
But the mechanism in laborspecifically is.
Triggering rhythmic uterinecontractions, supporting the
(11:27):
cervix to soften and open.
It helps facilitate you beingconnected to the experience and
being willing to bond to thepeople who are helping you and
help you trust the situationthat you're in.
It helps to reduce stress andkeep like other, you know,
stress hormones like adrenalineat bay.
(11:49):
It also helps to, help you likemanage the sensations and the
the adapt your adaptability andresiliency to handle the
physical and emotional pieces oflabor too.
So, oxytocin peaks when a womanfeels safe, when she feels
unobserved, when she feelsundisturbed and oxytocin works
(12:13):
best in the same environmentthat is.
Supporting intimacy.
So there's a reason that it's aconnection hormone, a love
hormone.
So we say you know, your birthshould be set up in the way that
you would potentially havephysical intimacy with your
partner, who would you whoshould be involved in that
(12:34):
process besides just the two ofyou?
And keeping it sacred, keepingit private.
So we want like dim lights, lotsof privacy, soft voices, feeling
like the people around you aresafe.
Not feeling like you're beingwatched.
And just being able to lean into that and having the tools
available and the planningpieces in place to make you
(12:56):
feel.
Like oxytocin can flow and doits job for you in labor.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (13:02):
And, this is one of the many reasons
why we talk about making thesedecisions about your labor and
your birth, like well beforeyour labor and birth actually
happen, right?
Because if we're wanting toencourage oxytocin, if we're
wanting to, you know, h helpthis hormonal cascade along.
Some of those decisions thatyou're making, you know, months
in advance about who you'reinviting into your birth and
(13:25):
where you are birthing actuallydo play, you know, a big role.
And so I know we kind of likecontinuously say these things,
but that's because again, thatit matters and it can impact
again, so much about about yourexperience.
So oxytocin, super sweet.
We love it.
Love hormone, all of that goodstuff.
Now we have Pitocin on the otherside, right?
(13:46):
Pitocin is, it was derived fromoxytocin.
It is a synthetic version of it.
It's most commonly administeredin iv.
It can also be, you know, putinto like your leg via shot kind
of thing.
But the most commonadministration is through an IV
and.
The most common reasons it isused is to induce labor, right?
(14:07):
So to start contractions.
'cause the idea is, oh, ifoxytocin is what moves labor
along, then Pitocin, we cancreate that and we can just kind
of force the issue.
So to induce labor.
To augment labor somehow,usually that is because
contractions have slowed down orare non-existent anymore, and
they're saying, we need to havethis baby, right?
And so saying again, Hey, let's.
(14:29):
Let's put this let's kinda trickyour body into thinking it has
oxytocin by giving you some ofthis pitocin, right?
And then also a very common timefor women to have Pitocin is
right after the birth of yourbaby, but before the birth of
your placenta.
So helping to deliver theplacenta.
Or control postpartum bleeding.
Those would be the most commonlyused times.
(14:50):
And honestly, that 60% of womenwho were polled in our Instagram
poll is less for sure than justbecause we have an interesting
amount of followers who, youknow, who are having home births
and things like that.
And so it's probably differentpercentages in terms of hospital
use for sure.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_0915 (15:06):
Yeah, and like I think the biggest
piece that is the most confusingto, to people is that endogenous
oxytocin that you produce inyour own body crosses the blood
brain barrier.
And Pitocin, the synthetic formthat is given to you does not
cross the blood-brain barrier.
And so it has different effects.
(15:28):
It does similar.
Things in labor, the physicalmechanisms, but it doesn't
interact with the hormones quitethe same.
It actually like blocks somenatural hormone.
Action in your body.
It interrupts the receptors.
It can make your naturaloxytocin receptors like over
flooded so that it doesn't, sothat you're not making oxytocin
(15:53):
because it recognizes this.
This synthetic version in yourbody and can cause it can cause
some complications and such.
And we see that in theliterature that is really
scientifically clear thatPitocin can be misused and does
have, you know, some negativeconsequences and side effects.
But Pitocin doesn't trigger thatlove and bonding and emotional
(16:18):
connection that natural oxytocindoes.
That would be really interestingif it did, but it's because it
doesn't cross the blood brainbarrier, so it's not interacting
with us psychologically andemotionally.
It overrides natural oxyoxytocin production.
So, even though it has a shortshelf life and once you come off
of it, it can, it can definitelyleave your body pretty quickly
(16:41):
and allow you to start creatingyour own oxytocin again.
It's still an interruption inthat process, and so we kind of
lose the cascade.
When we think of a ca we'reusing the term cascade because
it's like a, it's like awaterfall, right?
That's like just continuing togain speed as the water's
falling and there's more andmore volume, and as it's going,
(17:02):
it's catching and it's prettymuch unstoppable, but you can
stop this cascade.
And Pitocin is one of the waysthat you can do that.
Experiencing, you know, fear,experiencing tension in your
body.
All of those can like, kind ofhalt the cascade too.
So important pieces to be payingattention to.
And Pitocin can increase painwithout the natural.
(17:23):
Pain buffering of oxytocin.
So endogenous, natural oxytocinhappening in our body is the
part of helping protect us andhelp us like integrate the
experience of the physicalsensations of labor.
It's actually a really cool partof handling labor and being able
to, and women who can look backand go, I have absolutely no
(17:43):
idea how I did that.
It was your hormones helpingyou.
So when we pause that, it canmake.
Your labor contractions feeleven more uncomfortable,
especially if they're beingsynthetically produced.
So we're putting Pitocin in you.
Yes.
It's really interesting how itcan land on those same receptors
and create contractions, butthey're not the same natural
(18:07):
pulsing that are happening withendogenous.
Oxytocin, and so your bodyresponds to it differently and
you lose the protectivemechanism of everything kind of
working synergisticallytogether.
Pitocin often creates stronger,more intense contractions than
the body would naturallygenerate, and because of those
stronger, more intensecontractions.
(18:29):
That is potentially keepingblood flow from being able to
move as freely as it would ifyou were having more natural
contractions.
And sometimes there's less restthere.
And so that's what happens whena baby goes into distress in a
situation with.
Pitocin being administeredeither too high or for too long
periods of time is it's anoxygenation issue.
(18:50):
And so the uterus, when it'sclamping down, just naturally a
part of the process, the normalprocess even slows down blood
flow.
But when it's happening reallystrong.
Really close together and for areally long period of time,
experiencing that intensity.
It's not natural.
It's not what our bodies weredesigned to be able to tolerate.
And oftentimes we see issueswith the baby's heart rate in
(19:13):
response to that.
And so usually Pitocin, I meanalways Pitocin in this kind of
situation when it's being usedfor induction or labor
augmentation to kind of keeplabor going.
It needs to be, you need to behighly monitored because of this
risk issue with the baby.
And it's almost always in ahospital centered birth setting.
(19:33):
That's, this is not somethingthat we would use at home or at
a birth center, any place thatdoesn't have access to immediate
emergency equipment because ofthe unpredictability piece of
keeping the baby safe.
So then you're on monitoring,continuous monitoring with the
administer.
Of Pitocin and you are beingwatched and monitored for
(19:55):
basically trying to get themaximum amount of effects with,
in reducing the risk to yourbaby.
And there's also risk to you andyour, you know, physical self
with uterine rupture and youknow, different things that can
go on in your body too with toomuch Pitocin so even though it's
very common.
We have to look at the fact thatbecause it can only be used in a
(20:17):
high risk environment, it sh andit's being treated as a high
risk piece because then all of asudden you need all of this
extra monitoring and such likethat.
Sh we need to like have an alarmbell going off in our heads
about that.
Like now we're turn, we'returning this into a really.
Intense medical event.
So Pitocin does stimulate theuterus, but it doesn't activate
(20:38):
the rest of that cascade.
That helps you to laborintuitively to bond with your
baby to stay calm and grounded,and that is what women report.
It is just not the sameexperience.
Their ability to cope and dealand even just integrate the
experience is completelydifferent.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (20:55):
Yeah.
And it's wild because this iseasily one of the more common
you know, interventions that aregiven to women.
And that part What was what youjust went over.
Is never a part of theconversation.
It is never a part of, it'salmost, it's just so rare to get
true informed decision makingof, you know, revolving around
(21:16):
this because it's given in sucha way of oh no, it's just like
oxytocin.
We're just gonna help you alonga little bit.
This is what the re you know,this is just what we're gonna do
basically.
And, gosh, it matters.
It matters a ton, and we're nottrying to be fear-based by
sharing this.
We are just trying to give theinformation so that then you can
move forward with your labor,your postpartum, with eyes wide
(21:40):
open as you are making whateverdecision you know that needs to
be made in the moment.
So, of course, pitocin can beincredibly helpful.
We are thankful that theyfigured out a way to as closely
mimic oxytocin as they could.
Obviously, they can't fully,because it doesn't do a.
Everything that Oxytocin doesthat we just went over.
But it can be lifesaving whenit's used appropriately.
(22:03):
So we are not bashing the use ofit.
I even shared a little bit agoon, on Instagram about, you
know, routine oxytocin usage,and people were like, well, I
had a, I was hemorrhaging andPitocin really helped me, you
know, whatever.
And I'm like, yes.
So that's not routine, right?
That is a useful, you know, wayto utilize this drug.
But for things like hemorrhage,high risk situations, truly
(22:26):
stalled, labors, things likethat, it can actually be
helpful, right?
It is a helpful tool in yourtoolbox to move forward in the
healthiest way possible.
But the key here, like Imentioned, is truly informed
consent.
If you are consenting to it, notfear-based, not routine usage.
This is what we always do,right?
(22:47):
If, and or you could say, Hey, Iknow everything.
I've heard these things.
I've researched it a little bit.
You're routine usage actuallysounds good to me.
I'm willing to do that.
Okay, great.
You are informed and you areconsenting to that.
But if you're listening to thisand being like, huh.
That's what, you know, myhospital does, that's what my
provider does just routinely.
That's what makes them feelsafer.
(23:08):
Interesting.
That doesn't me make me feelsafer.
So what do I want to do aboutit?
Or how do I want to approachthis?
What decisions do I need to makesurrounding that, right?
And that is.
That is a good place to findyourself in control of those
types of decisions.
But if you do find your place orfind yourself in a place where
you need to choose Pitocin oryou need truly need Pitocin.
(23:31):
You can talk to your providereven beforehand, right?
About, okay, so here's somequestions, right?
What's the lowest effective dosethat you can use for this, for
that particular situation,right?
We don't have to throweverything at it all at once.
You know, how can I kind slowlyenter into utilizing.
If you are like, okay, yes, I doneed to use this, you can still,
(23:53):
you know, bring yourself back tophysiology in the places where
you can, right?
Using your breath while, youknow, while you're contracting,
using movement Support your bodyjust to help integrate the
experience slowly, right?
All of those things that youwould normally do, even without
it will still be helpful andmeaningful and supportive of
(24:15):
what your body is doing.
And then again, back to thatidea of restoring physiology as
much as possible.
We want to do that as much aspossible, as quickly as possible
and emphasize that in as manyways as we possibly can so we
can support natural oxytocin inbirth, even when.
You have to utilize Pitocin oreven afterwards, right?
(24:38):
As your body is kind of likeworking through it.
And so I think that's a reallyhelpful thing to remember
because it's not all or nothing.
It's not black and white.
It's not, oh, everything is outthe window now that I have, now
that I'm utilizing this.
You can still support your bodyif doing so.
So Tiff, I'd love to hear someof the things that you recommend
in terms of, you know,especially like our lives as
doulas for so long, supportingwomen in this situation.
(25:02):
You know, just to kind of helpthat natural oxytocin while
still utilizing Pitocin wherenecessary.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_0915 (25:08):
Yeah, like we can, we have control
over the lighting.
We can still keep the lightstem.
We can put soothing music on, wecan use warm water.
We can have just the presence ofpeople who love us around us.
Even, you know, like our partneror some other companion, like a
doula or a midwife, you canstill you can, you still have
(25:29):
control over those people inyour environment.
You can still be reminded oftrust in your body and.
That comes along with having areally great birth team who's
gonna reinforce that, havingeducation beforehand.
So even when an intervention isnecessary, you're still going to
be able to facilitate as muchoxytocin production as possible
(25:53):
and then avoiding stressfulinterruptions in your labor,
avoiding unnecessary cervicalchecks, avoiding all those
things that we know that takeyou out of that place of being
able to like really focus andlean into the physiological
parts of labor that we're notmaking these recommendations in
just because they feel nice andit gives you something to do and
(26:15):
looks nice in the pictures.
Like it's because of physiology.
It's'cause we want to do thingsand it's not always natural to
lean towards physiology.
That's why you need peoplearound you that you trust to
remind you of those things.
Because there's plenty of timeswhere we've been in a labor that
is dysfunctional for some reasonand the mom is not intuitively
saying.
(26:36):
I need all these people to getout of my room.
I need to go be in a dark closetsomewhere.
I need you to stop talking tome.
And I need to just haveheadphones in with nice music.
It's not always instinctual andintuitive for multiple reasons.
It's a whole different episode.
And so you need to have a plan,and you need to have people
around you who are reminding youof let's lean into the
(26:57):
physiological pieces of yourlabor as much as possible, no
matter what the circumstancesare.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (27:03):
Yeah, absolutely.
And if what that's so true,whether you're having Pitocin or
not, all of those things arestill just going to help
encourage oxytocin or going toencourage, you know, connection
to the experience and all ofthat.
So on Pitocin, you can still dothose things off of Pitocin
trying to, you know, encourageoxytocin just naturally.
It's great to be able toutilize, you know, these tools
(27:23):
in your toolbox.
So oxytocin in particular,right?
We're trying to encourage it.
We're trying to do all of thosethings.
Oxytocin will continue to helpyou, not only just through
labor, encouraging your laborpattern, all of that, but also
postpartum.
And it's one of the reasons thatwe care so much about physiology
during labor itself andsupporting all of those natural
(27:45):
pieces for your body.
Because you know, after youbirth your baby, you may think
oh, labor's like the really.
Crazy part.
Yes.
That's, there's a lot.
But the clinically speaking,there's a lot that can happen in
between having your baby andbirthing your placenta and
oxytocin is a huge help in thatstage.
If we are able to preserve it,if we're able to encourage it,
(28:06):
it's gonna help expel yourplacenta.
It's gonna help reduce yourbleeding.
It's gonna help you see yourbaby and be like, oh my gosh,
this is the best baby that hasever been born in the history of
babies.
I love this baby so much.
It's gonna help produce, youknow, milk your let down your
breastfeeding success ingeneral.
And so.
Oxytocin does matter a wholeheck of a lot, right?
(28:27):
And Pitocin isn't going tosupport that hormonal harmony
piece and high dose Pitocinespecially, you know, longer use
too.
It can even cause morehemorrhaging.
It can cause more bleedingpostpartum.
It can mess with that early.
Rhythm of establishingbreastfeeding and bonding
sequences that happen.
(28:48):
Short-term issues, long-termissues for mental health stuff
too.
37% of the people that we, youknow, polled on Instagram said
that they experienced some kindof adverse effect during
postpartum from using Pitocin.
And so I shared, you know,somebody's experience too on
there a while ago about.
(29:09):
You know, I birthedphysiologically and then I was
given Pitocin without even beingspoken to.
And I you know, didn't realizeit until after the fact, but was
like, why do I feel like I'm noteven in the room with this baby?
Why do I feel like I'm anotherperson watching this?
She felt kind of dissociated notconnecting with her baby in that
time until, you know, kind ofran through her body and she was
able to, you know, backtrack andfigure that out and be like,
(29:30):
huh, that was fascinating, thatit wasn't even on her radar.
And she had that kind ofexperience.
And so, again, not fear-based,but trying to say physiology
matters so much and the designis created as such to, you know,
create this experience for youand for your baby to set you up
in a way that makes sense foryour connection, your baby's
(29:52):
survival, even all of that,right?
And that again, it matters.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_0915 (29:56):
Yeah.
And so, it's important to, likewe said, listen to other
people's stories, understandwhat women are saying about
their own experiences.
We asked our Instagram audienceto share about some of their
experiences with both, withoxytocin, with Pitocin because
it helps connect the informationwhen we get to hear it in story,
(30:17):
when we get to hear women'sactual experiences.
It helps connect the informationto, like you being able to apply
it to your life.
It just makes it so much moreapplicable and.
We collected a variety ofexperiences when we asked women
for this, and so I think that'sreally important to hear.
But when we first asked women,Hey, what did you do?
So now, so knowing aboutoxytocin, knowing about
(30:39):
physiological birth, knowingwhat supports that, what does
that look like in real life?
I mean, we all say dim thelights and put on music and make
things nice around you, but whatdid you actually do?
And so, our audience said,having my husband hold me.
Having sex in early labor havinga birth playlist prepared ahead
of time, talking about myfeelings nipple stimulation,
(31:03):
having scripture andaffirmations around me, putting
on Netflix fireplace, cuddlingwith my older children, having
things stay completely quiet,staying home sleeping, and
napping when possible.
My husband being very hands on,only looking at and making eye
(31:23):
contact with those who werethere to encourage me.
This, the, this is like thatpracticality of keeping oxy,
keeping oxytocin at like theforefront of your labor plan.
That's like what some of thosethings can look like.
And it's not gonna be one ofthose things.
It's gonna be having a plan formultiple pieces and everything
around you kind of justcontinuing to support that
(31:46):
hormonal cascade.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (31:47):
Yeah.
And again, that doesn'tguarantee like the easiest,
smoothest, you know, mostcomfortable labor, right?
But we see what oxytocin can doand how to encourage it.
And for a provider to sayPitocin is the same as oxytocin
is just a lie because we alsopulled women to say Hey, just
give us some of your experienceswith.
Pitocin and these things would,you know, are different in terms
(32:10):
of how the body responds, right?
So there's a few of these.
Pitocin was recommended withhemorrhaging, but I latched my
baby instead and it stopped,boom on it for over 24 hours in
labor and had a huge hemorrhage,which is what we spoke about a
little bit before.
One shot got my placenta outwhen I started hemorrhaging.
We have seen that happen at homeas well.
(32:32):
Tried for stalled labor and babydid not tolerate it well, which
ended in cesarean.
Unnecessary induction that wasawful and hard with difficulty
breastfeeding and postpartumdepression and anxiety.
Worth it for transfer for help,you know, from a home birth into
a hospital birth with stalledlabor and got a vaginal birth.
Smallest dose of it afterepidural nap to get labor going
(32:56):
again.
Used for postpartum hemorrhageand had a rough start with
breastfeeding which we heardbefore again as well.
First labor used in hospital andsecond for postpartum at home
for placenta.
I asked to be induced with it,but it was awful given
postpartum without consent andthankfully no adverse effects,
but I would have declined.
Caused fetal distress with firstthat resulted in three more
(33:19):
cesarean contractions liketransition with no breaks.
And so we see how it can beuseful and we see how it can
absolutely derail some thingshere.
We can see how oxytocin helpsencourage some of these pieces
that potentially Pitocin came into support.
And we can see again how Pitocincan.
Impact things negatively aswell.
(33:40):
So being able to say Pitocin andoxytocin are the same thing
again, flat out lie.
And we can, even if researchdidn't show that we can read
these things and say these are atiny amount of what has happened
for women who have had thisexperience, have these
experiences as well.
And so it matters for you to beaware of the differences.
(34:03):
Again, some of these.
So thankful, right?
That they were able to have itand that it did what it needed
to do.
And some of these, they lookback and think man, I wish, you
know, a different decision hadbeen made in that moment.
tiffany_1_08-07-2025_0915 (34:15):
Yeah, and I think like the difference
really is that oxytocinrepresents this built-in design,
this built-in wisdom that yourbody is already going to do when
it's well supported, and Pitocinis a tool.
It doesn't need to beconsidered.
We don't need to say like it'sbad or good.
It has pros and cons of it,right?
Oxytocin in our body doesn'thave cons.
There's nothing to weigh out.
(34:36):
There isn't like the pros andcons of naturally flowing
oxytocin in our body.
It's always good, and Pitocin isa tool that can be used
sometimes, but we need to have areally specific reason because
it does interfere with what isnaturally happening in our body.
And so.
We wanna be able to approachbirth from the perspective of
(34:56):
supporting the entire system.
And that's why holistic birthprep is so important.
We're looking at like, where areyou at mentally?
Where is your body at?
Where are you you know, at andyour soul and your spirituality
and your social, you know,constructs around you and your
home and.
You know, all of those pieces,they really matter.
(35:17):
Pitocin is just like this singlefunction hormone stand-in.
I call it like a Marauder.
It just comes in Hey, I'm hereto save the day.
And then it like, you know, likea bulled China shop kind of.
And this.
Is the, this is the whole pointof understanding physiological
birth.
When we talk about physiologicalbirth, we are talking about this
hormonal cascade, what your bodyknows how to do on its own
(35:40):
without disturbance.
It's a good design.
We can trust in that to startwith as a foundation and kind of
see what happens in yoursituation as an individual.
And then we can pivot when it'snecessary.
But we can start with thefoundation of physiology and.
That is why good childbirtheducation should emphasize this
(36:01):
throughout every single thingthat is shared.
Because it is so foundational,it's so important.
We need to unlearn harmful birthculture norms.
From this educationalperspective and preparing for
birth, connecting to that gooddesign and understanding it in a
way that allows you to trust it.
And then understanding thesupportive pieces and strategies
(36:24):
of navigating that In modernbirth culture, no matter how it
is that you are going toexperience your setting and your
provider and your team and thosethings like this is applicable
in every single one of those.
Places.
So you guys know, in ourholistic birth course, we
emphasize that in every singlepiece of education, how to
activate your natural oxytocinflow for an easier and
(36:48):
instinctual labor.
How to avoid the con, thecascade of interventions by
supporting your body'sphysiology, how to create a
birth environment that protectsthat hormonal piece, that like
really essential foundationalblueprint of what your body
wants.
To do when it's well supported.
How to make confident informeddecisions without fear or
(37:09):
pressure.
So when it comes time to pivot,when it comes time to consider
an alternative, you have thetools that you need to go, okay,
I understand this is thefoundation, this is the goal.
This is, you know, sometimesthe.
The event that we have on thepedestal, not everybody is going
to have an experience that isideal to what their, what that
foundational piece is.
(37:30):
So then how do you pivot insideof that and how do you advocate
for yourself and make the bestdecision moving forward without
feeling like you've lost controlover all the pieces, right?
And then how to navigate birthwith evidence-based strategies.
Holistic wisdom and allowingthose pieces to kind of like
coincide and have the ability tosay, I understand this is what
(37:51):
my body is meant to do.
It's not what is currentlyhappening right now.
How do I wisely bring in some ofthose pieces?
Or how do I restore physiology?
How do I get back to helping mybody pick up, you know, where we
left off?
And being able to navigate allof those pieces.
So.
You'll find our childbirtheducation link in the show notes
(38:13):
as always, that is available toyou guys.
It's one of the ways that we areable to really bring
practicality and action and thisphilosophy into individual
women's experiences, and it's ahuge part of our passion for
sharing education andinformation like this.
So another thing that I wannainclude in our show notes.
(38:34):
Is our Pitocin highlight onInstagram because we spent a lot
of time building up the researchthere that says why Pitocin is
not the same as oxytocin.
And also some of the researchand scientific pieces about the
risks of Pitocin and how to tryto, you know, navigate that and
avoid that.
(38:54):
So you have the arsenal ofscientific research also to try
to avoid some of the pitfalls ofPitocin.
Guys.
kelly_1_08-07-2025_091557 (39:03):
Yeah, hopefully this just feels a
great foundational place for youthen to be like, oh, light bulbs
coming off and recognizing howimportant some of these
decisions, how important some ofthese deep dives that you can do
because you are the one incharge.
How that can impact not onlyyour birth, but then your
postpartum experience, all ofthat.
I see that as such a coolopportunity for women to like,
(39:24):
take control of and to reallyown rather than the mounting
pressure that feels like itmight be on top of you.
You can have some freedom inresearch and understanding what
your options are, and again,making informed decisions.
So hopefully this again, servesas some encouragement.
Check the show notes for all theother good stuff and we will
catch you next week.
(39:47):
Hey ladies, if you're loving theshow and want to help us keep it
ad free so we can keep talkingabout all things birth and
women's health, without cuttingto an ad about electrolytes or
grass fed beef sticks, here ishow you can support us.
First, leave us a quick reviewor a rating.
It helps more women, new moms,and birth enthusiasts find our
(40:10):
show.
And it honestly means so much tous to be reminded that you love
what we are doing here.
Second, share this episode witha friend, with a doula buddy, or
anyone who is on their ownholistic health or natural birth
journey.
And third hop on our newsletterlist.
This is where we share.
Bonus goodies behind the scenesstuff.
(40:32):
Fun little extras you just won'thear on the show.
You can find that link to joinin our show notes below.
Thanks so much for being a partof this growing empowered
community.
We could not do it without you.
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